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A 'Dexter' spinoff? Showtime exec teases to possibility

By Chuck Barney, Contra Costa Times

Updated:
07/31/2013 07:30:47 PM EDT

This undated publicity image released by Showtime shows Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan in a scene from the final season of "Dexter," airing Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime. (AP Photo/Showtime, Randy Tepper) (Randy Tepper)

Notes and quotes from the Television Critics Association press tour:

The serial killer drama "Dexter" is ending its distinguished eight-season cable run on Showtime this summer, but could there be a future for one or more of its characters?

Showtime entertainment chief David Nevins offered a tantalizing tease to such a possibility when he announced here that the cable network had just sealed a two-year development deal with "Dexter" showrunner Scott Buck.

When a journalist asked if there might someday be a "Dexter" spinoff series, Nevins referred to that deal and replied, "Draw your own conclusions."

Our conclusion is that "Dexter" doesn't exactly have a wealth of intriguing backup characters we'd want to follow. Maybe Dexter's sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), who got her first real taste of blood last season, can follow in her brother's footsteps. Or perhaps a show could be tied to forensics expert Vince Masuka (C.S. Lee). After all, he's kinky and weird, and we really don't know what he might be hiding. But could he really carry a series?

After his news conference, a few reporters pressed Nevins for more details. He insisted that no spinoff is in the works, but also didn't rule one out.

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"We have a deal with (Buck), and we're going to develop a bunch of things with him," Nevins said. "It's not necessarily a spinoff ... All options will be explored. We're really not dealing with it at all until we're through this season and maybe for a while thereafter."

ROBIN WILLIAMS GOES 'CRAZY': For the first time since "Mork & Mindy" went off the air in 1982, Robin Williams is doing series television on the upcoming CBS comedy "The Crazy Ones," and he's pretty amped-up about it.

"It's great to have a steady gig after so long. It's wonderful," he said during a panel session in which his frenetic energy was on full display.

In the "The Crazy Ones," Williams plays an oddball advertising executive. The show was created by David E. Kelley, a writer known for making his actors stick to the script. So how will he mesh with Williams, a performer who loves to improvise?

"It feels like I've been handed the keys to a car that I was ill-equipped to drive," admits Kelley, who, nevertheless, is ready to compromise.

"He (Williams) works in the box and then we give him a few takes to play with it," Kelley said. "I knew I'd be a fool to try to lasso him to the script."

Meanwhile, Williams has to adjust to a vastly different TV world, in which many viewers might be watching him on their laptops or tablets.

"The last time I was on TV, 'wired' meant a gram and a bottle of Jack Daniel's," he cracked.

BACK IN A FLASH: The Flash, quite fittingly, is on the fast track at The CW.

Network President Mark Pedowitz said the youth-obsessed CW is developing a drama based on the super-swift DC Comics hero and member of the Justice League of America.

The character, Dr. Barry Allen, said Pedowitz, will be introduced during Season 2 of "Arrow."

"We're planning an origin story, and we'll see how it goes," he said. "We do want to expand on DC Universe, and we felt this is a very organic way to get there."

Allen, the alter ego of the Scarlet Speedster, will appear in the eighth, ninth and 20th episodes of "Arrow." The 20th episode will serve as a so-called backdoor pilot.

QUICK TAKES: Nearly 20 years since he hosted a late-night talk show, Arsenio Hall is set to headline another TV gabfest. "The Arsenio Hall Show" will appear in syndication beginning Sept. 9. "It's kind of the same Arsenio you know -- less hair, less shoulder pad -- but inserting myself into this culture of music, comedy, pop and hop," he said. ... Showtime announced that new seasons of "Episodes," "House of Lies," and "Shameless" will launch on Jan. 12. ... The CW is in the early stages of developing a possible spinoff to "Supernatural," which would be set in Chicago and feature "hunters and monsters."

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